A week ago, a couple who had been married for 48 years died from COVID-19. Not only did both the husband and wife die, they did so within just four minutes of one another and holding hands. It's a terribly tragic story about two people gone too soon. To the family they left behind, the way they left the world feels symbolic of how they spent their lives — together.
Johnny Lee Peoples and Cathy Darlene Peoples both died on September 2 at Novant Health Rowan Regional Medical Center in North Carolina. "They were married 48 years, been together 50, they walked hand in hand for those 50 years," said their son, Shane Peoples.
Shane is speaking out about what he believes played into his parents' deaths, saying he feels many people still aren't taking the virus seriously. His father was only 67 years old and his mother 65. They had both been battling COVID-19 for around 30 days before they both started to decline quickly.
Shane says that both his parents contracted the virus and each went downhill rapidly. His mother, who was just days away from retirement, contracted it first. "It was mainly the fever and loss of taste," he said. "My dad [started] showing symptoms two days later. About two weeks later they were both put in the ICU. Everything just went south, everything just got worse."
The funeral for the couple was held on Wednesday. They are survived by three children and nine grandchildren. Shane is grieving his parents' deaths, and he is being vocal about the fact that it feels senseless, saying he feels "cheated" and that he believes his parents might still be alive if people had been taking the pandemic more seriously.
"The lives of Mom and Dad were stolen by a virus that many joke about on a daily basis or just straight out believe it's a hoax of some sort. Both of them took this pandemic seriously and still got sick, still died," Shane wrote in a personal tribute on Facebook. "My parents weren't just a blessing for me, my brother, my sister, our spouses, and our children. They were a blessing to every person that met them."
The post continued, "My mom had the most beautiful soul of anyone you could have met. She was very generous with the love she had for everyone. If she didn't love you or have love for you, something was wrong with you. I'm not sure if my dad ever met a stranger, he could strike up a conversation with anyone and make them smile. He went years coaching youth sports and loved helping these children become better people."
Cathy and Johnny both sound like incredible people, and their family will certainly remember them that way. Shane has also been sharing beautiful pictures of his parents from over the years. "They both loved their family very much and did anything and everything they could possibly do for them," he continued. "I had some pretty darn awesome parents."
Shane is definitely not holding back when it comes to letting people know how serious this virus is. He ended his post with a plea for people to do as much as they can to try to prevent spreading it further. "Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. Be kind to one another."
He also wrote that his parents wouldn't want anyone else to have to go through what they did.
Johnny and Cathy truly seemed to love people, and the tributes have been pouring in since their deaths. They were said to love their friends, their family, and their two poodles, Sammy and Macy. "Hold your family close," Shane wrote. "Treat every moment with them like it's your last, it could very well be. Love and keep on loving."
Johnny was also a sergeant in the US Army. At the couple's memorial this week, his medals were on full display. He worked for the NC Department of Corrections, as well. Cathy worked as teacher assistant at Salisbury Academy and a lab technician at LabCorp.
Even as the nationwide death toll nears 200,000, many people are still refusing to wear masks, attending large gatherings, and ignoring social distancing rules. While it's frustrating for many of us, for those who lost loved ones, like Shane, it must be downright enraging. Those who are being careful, like Shane says his parents were, certainly don't deserve what happened to them. Right now, it's all of our responsibility to help keep one another safe.
Shane says it was tough to share his parents' story, but he did so because he's hopeful that people will finally start listening to science and do whatever they can to slow the spread of COVID-19. We may still be months away from a vaccine being distributed across the country, which could mean thousands more deaths are still ahead of us. Sadly, far too many lives have already been lost, and many, like Shane, believe that the false idea that this virus is a hoax is largely to blame.
